By
WNPR.
Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.

Untreated spinal conditions, rusty medical equipment, and a fly infestation are a few of the complaints alleged by a group of doctors at the VA Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. We speak with a reporter who’s following the story. And a Massachusetts man, in prison for murder, fights to get a new trial after over 30 years in prison. Plus, we bring you the brief and fascinating history of a little-known anti-immigration party that swept the Massachusetts government in 1854, and more.

Darrell “Diamond” Jones, a man convicted of murder more than three decades ago, is seeking a new trial. He appeared at a hearing in a Fall River, Massachusetts courtroom Tuesday. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR

Casting Doubt

There was dramatic testimony during an unusual hearing in a Fall River, Massachusetts courtroom on Tuesday. Darrell Jones, a man convicted of murder more than three decades ago, is seeking a new trial.

Tuesday’s hearing raised questions of racial bias by jurors. And a key juror who alleged the discrimination said that she was never summoned to court to testify. WBUR’s Bruce Gellerman has the story.

Carol DiPirro talks with neighbor Andrea Inamorati about a health survey following water contamination in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Photo by Emily Corwin for NHPR

Over a year ago, residents near Merrimack, New Hampshire learned their drinking water had been contaminated by emissions from a nearby plastics plant. The chemicals found in area wells, known as PFAs, have been linked to thyroid disease, cancer, immune system changes, and other health problems.

Some residents there now say state and federal officials still aren’t doing enough to protect them. A few neighbors are taking things into their own hands. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Emily Corwin reports.

Every day, nearly a million commuters travel on the Northeast Corridor — the rail network between Washington, D.C. and Boston. Many of those passengers cross over a small river in the coastal city of Norwalk, Connecticut. But the only way for a train to get across that river is via a 120-year-old “swing bridge,” which rotates to let boats pass.

And sometimes that bridge gets stuck mid-swing, causing chaos for commuters. State officials want to replace the deteriorating bridge, but locals worry about collateral damage. WNPR’s Ryan Caron King reports.

Un-Cared For

Ed Kois, one of the doctors who went public with allegations of substandard care at the Manchester VA. Photo by Peter Biello for NHPR

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire has come under fire for allegedly delaying care to some patients with spine conditions, resulting in their paralysis.

Whistleblowers also allege that the purchase of important medical equipment had been delayed because of budgetary concerns. And the medical center has been struggling with an infestation of flies for at least a decade.

Reggie Moton of Hartford, Connecticut suffers from depression and substance use disorder. Moton was homeless for 20 years before a nonprofit called Journey Home found him this apartment in 2016. Photo by Ryan Caron King for NENC

Between a quarter and a third of homeless people have a mental illness, and roughly that same percentage suffers from substance abuse disorder. Columnist Susan Campbell, who writes about housing and homelessness for the New England News Collaborative, told us the story of one man, Reggie Moton, who fits both of these categories. Campbell says Moton illustrates the years of systemic neglect of mentally ill homeless people in New England.

Know Nothings

The flag of the mid 19th Century American Party. The party was commonly known as the Know Nothing Party because when asked about their secretive meetings, members were instructed to reply, “I know nothing.”

Back in January, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh spoke in defiance of President Trump’s executive order promising to strip funding from so-called sanctuary cities — cities like Boston, where local police do not detain or question anyone based solely on their immigration status. At a press conference, Walsh said immigrants fearing deportation could live in City Hall if they wished.

And as we’ve reported, leaders of other Massachusetts cities have embraced immigrant-friendly policies.

But back in the 1850s, a new political party — formed in opposition to waves of European immigrants — swept to power in Boston and other Massachusetts cities, and captured the state legislature by a landslide.

Anna Fisher-Pinkert tells the story of the Massachusetts Know Nothing Party. The piece was originally produced for the Commonwealth Museum in Boston.

This week, we get an update the flow of migrants leaving the US to go to Quebec, and meet Puerto Ricans deciding whether to stay on the island or come back to New England. We’ll talk about housing for a rapidly aging population in Vermont, and learn how a the settlement dollars from a Volkswagen lawsuit could help spur electric vehicle use in M ...…

What does a state owe to people serving time in prison? And what does it owe those who should never have been locked up in the first place? We speak with a man who went to prison in Massachusetts for 32 years for a crime he didn’t commit. And we travel back over 300 years to a war on New England soil where women leaders played a major role. Plu ...…

On this Thanksgiving week, we’re presenting a few favorite segments from our archives. We dig into our energy series “The Big Switch” with stories about solar power on homes and farms, and profile a new large-scale passive housing movement. And singer-songwriter Dar Williams tells us what she’s learned about making a vibrant community while wri ...…

This week, we’re talking ballot questions. Why are more of them showing up in voting booths in states like Maine and Massachusetts, and how much power do elected officials have to tinker with citizen-passed laws? Plus, a Puerto Rican family is reunited in Holyoke, Mass., and a Vermont veteran with PTSD finds a way to heal, through farming. List ...…

New England is recovering this week after a big storm knocked out power for days in some places. How do we keep the power on today, and make our communities more resilient in the long term? We also ruminate lyrically on fickle New England weather with writer Will Dowd. A story from Texas puts the idea of “sanctuary hospitals” in the spotlight. ...…

This week, we talk Amazon HQ2: whether Boston has a good shot at becoming the home of the corporation’s second headquarters, and why New Hampshire slings so much dirt at Beantown in its bid. We’ll also get an update on how Puerto Ricans with Connecticut connections are coping with hurricane recovery on the island. Plus, we’ll learn how Massachu ...…

Utility companies face allegations that they drove up the cost of electricity in New England, and they’re pushing back. A rural doctor is told by the state she has to quit – in part because of her prescribing practices. Her patients ask, “who will help me with my pain?” We have the story of a wildfire that ravaged Maine 70 years ago. And we fin ...…

We check in with New Englanders and their loved ones in Puerto Rico. And with everything we now know about opioid addiction, are doctors still over- prescribing painkillers? Also, after Las Vegas, one gun shop owner says the industry should self-regulate. Plus, we chat with singer-songwriter Dar Williams about her new book on rebuilding America ...…

This week, we walk the US-Canada border with Border Patrol agents, and hear the concerns of civil rights lawyers who worry about their ability to stop people they suspect of living in the country without documentation. We’ll also hear the story of an unusual experiment proposed for Martha’s Vineyard, one that asks residents to trust a scientist ...…

New England communities prepare for an influx of hurricane refugees from Puerto Rico, and worry about family back home. We’ll learn what Germany can teach us about welcoming immigrants, and we’ll tour an old Hartford factory that’s preparing for a new life as a food and jobs hub for a struggling neighborhood. Plus, the craft beer industry is ex ...…

This week, immigrants facing domestic violence take a chance applying for a special visa. Plus, we take a nervous look at Vermont’s outdated flood maps, and a new study that finds New England is losing forestland fast. Also, how does geology influence human behavior? We go WAY back into the history of our region to find out. And it’s time once ...…

Dams clog rivers and streams all over New England. Environmentalists want to take many of them down to improve habitat for fish, but some entrepreneurs want to put them back to work doing their original jobs: making power. Plus, with the Trump Administration’s voter fraud commission meeting in New Hampshire this week, we revisit our conversatio ...…

This week: in Vermont, suicides account for 89 percent of gun-related deaths. Why is that percentage so high, and what’s being done to lower the risk? Also, we learn how the region is reacting to President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program. And we explore the wide variety of accents that color the speech of New Englanders — and how those ...…

This week, we revisit New England’s most devastating weather event, the hurricane of 1938 — and find out what we’ve learned about protecting against storms. We’ll also learn about the new deal struck by Northeastern states to combat climate change, and about a big battery that could be the future for energy storage. Plus, we hear the music of t ...…

The events in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month have echoes in New England. This week, we hear local reactions to seeing a Keene, New Hampshire local featured in a documentary about white supremacists at Charlottesville, and we recon with a quieter kind of racism in Boston in the wake of the “Free Speech” rally and counter-protest la ...…

A new draft federal climate report forecasts warmer temperatures, higher seas, and more precipitation for the Northeast than predicted just three years ago. We speak with a University of New Hampshire climatologist. And one town is host to a surprising amount of resources New Englanders use, and that’s taking a toll on local residents. We find ...…

From Lake Champlain to the Connecticut River, overtaxed sewage systems are being pushed to filter out more pollutants. This week, we look into what it takes to clean up our water systems. Following the announcement that Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics, we revisit Boston’s aborted Olympic bid in search of lessons about urban plann ...…

Untreated spinal conditions, rusty medical equipment, and a fly infestation are a few of the complaints alleged by a group of doctors at the VA Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. We speak with a reporter who’s following the story. And a Massachusetts man, in prison for murder, fights to get a new trial after over 30 years in prison. P ...…

Lyme disease has been on the rise in New England, and early data suggests this is a particularly risky summer. We speak with a doctor who’s been trying to track the history, and discuss why preventing transmission can be so tricky. And we consider an immigration ruling by the high court in Massachusetts and how it may come into conflict with Tr ...…

New England has been waiting for years for real, high speed rail to get travelers more quickly from New York to Boston, but the path of that new line caused big headaches in some small towns. Federal railroad officials have now backed off part of a new high speed rail plan — listen for our update. And it may be easier to keep a railroad from in ...…

The New Hampshire state parole board often addresses inmates using “indelicate language.” Is it defensible? Plus, an investigation into the long-term fallout from Rhode Island’s disastrous deal with former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. And, we look back at the history of the Newport Folk Festival, and Vermont’s short-lived gold rush. The Newp ...…

This week, we hear some stories and interviews from our archives. We find out what a Reveal/APM Reports investigation tells us about police de-escalation training in New England, and visit police in New Hampshire who are reaching out to children who’ve been traumatized by witnessing crime. We also explore the work of Marsden Hartley, whose art ...…

Alex Ciccolo — a 24-year-old who was arrested two years ago in Adams, Massachusetts on charges of attempting domestic terrorism — is back in the news. His mother spoke with our reporter Jill Kaufman. Later in the show, we take a look inside the world of eel trafficking in Maine, and learn about an effort on Martha’s Vineyard to help small fishe ...…

This week: New Hampshire’s largest addiction recovery organization faces allegations of dysfunction and verbal abuse, and Boston considers whether to allow a facility where drug users can inject under medical supervision. Plus, we take a big-picture look at casino gambling in New England, and meet a Connecticut biologist who’s trying to breed a ...…

With the closure of Massachusetts’ last coal fired power plant last month, some South Coast towns are pinning their hopes on offshore wind. Plus, we’ve heard the stories about immigrant farm workers facing deportation – but what is their daily life like? And why do they make the risky journey to Vermont? And, decades after the AIDS crisis hit, ...…

This week, we have stories about immigrants facing misunderstandings and confusion in their interactions with the criminal justice system. Plus, the popular Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” prompts us to look back at the New England Puritan culture that provided the underpinnings for Margaret Atwood’s dystopia. And we take in nature’s bounty a ...…

This week, we hear a few updates on stories from our archives. The Boston Globe Spotlight team shines light on sexual abuse at elite New England boarding schools, and it prompts more investigations and more allegations. Plus, we follow scientists who are recreating ancient forests, and tracking the effects of climate change on moose. And we hea ...…

Southern New England states are hungry for renewable energy. There’s energy up north, but there are hurdles to bringing down to southern states. This week, we look at the stalling of wind energy in Maine, and the controversy over a project that would bring hydro-electric power from Quebec to the New England grid. Plus, we have updates to govern ...…

From Lake Champlain to the Connecticut River, overtaxed sewage systems are being pushed to filter out more pollutants. This week, we look into what it takes to clean up our water systems. We also revisit Boston’s aborted Olympic bid in search of lessons about urban planning and civic engagement. We follow the journey of an aluminum can, and mee ...…

This week, we find out what a Reveal/APM Reports investigation tells us about police de-escalation training in New England, and visit police in New Hampshire who are reaching out to children who’ve been traumatized by witnessing crime. We go inside the public input process in two big regional transportation projects, and find out what role citi ...…

This week, the death of a veteran raises questions about a VA facility in Vermont; and what the story of a mentally ill homeless man in Connecticut tells us about systemic neglect. Plus, we talk about town-gown relations in cities large and small, and we hear the stories and music of refugees. Reggie Moton, of Hartford, Connecticut suffers from ...…

This week, a political reporter’s history of the New Hampshire primary. Plus, we follow scientists who are recreating ancient forests, tracking the effects of climate change on moose, and fighting to keep funding for weird-sounding research. And we hear the story of a soccer team that’s leveling the playing field for kids of all backgrounds. 20 ...…

This week, The Boston Globe Spotlight team shines light on sexual abuse at elite New England boarding schools, and it prompts more investigations and more allegations. Connecticut’s unpopular Democratic governor said he’s not running for re-election. We find out why, and ask why so many blue New England states are now being run by Republicans. ...…

This week, we tackle the confusing and contradictory world of health care, from politics that are personal, to overcoming the trauma of being a refugee, to the shifting language of addiction. We also explore the work of Marsden Hartley, whose art defined the rocky coast, the looming hills, and the working men of Maine. Marden Hartley, Lobster F ...…

This week: Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been directed to begin detaining and deporting all unauthorized immigrants. We’ve talked about sanctuary cities, but what about jurisdictions where law enforcement does report to ICE? We look at the very different approaches taken by Vermont and New Hampshire. Later, we visit the front lines of ...…

“He has no compunction about telling you how he’s screwing you,” is how one fisherman described the way the man known locally as “the Codfather” did business. This week, how one man gamed the system meant to keep New England fishing fair and sustainable. Plus, we talk gentrification in two very different Boston squares. And with the first hints ...…

This week, we have updates from the front lines of the battle over immigration policy. An African immigrant tries to cross into Quebec, nearly freezing to death in the process, and a Syrian family just barely skirts a travel ban to come to Connecticut. We also try and answer two tricky questions: Why is Vermont so very white, and whatever happe ...…

With plenty of fresh powder on the ground, we look at how climate change is changing our region’s ski industry; and learn why the sport now comes with such a high price tag. We also hear about how Providence, Rhode Island is grappling with being a “sanctuary city.” And we get inside the unique, intensely democratic process that is a New England ...…

This hour, we parse what’s clear, what’s changed, and what hasn’t about U.S. immigration policy and the powers of ICE, the federal immigration police. We hear what the vetting process was like for one refugee in Maine, and follow NPR’s Code Switch podcast as they trace Puerto Rican identity in a Massachusetts town. Plus, we take a look into the ...…

This week, we hear stories of very different places in battle with the sea. We consider a massive and expensive seawall plan that could save Boston, and coastal adaptation in New Hampshire. We speak with the author of a new book about Martha’s Vineyard — the island tourist hub that’s been slowly eroding for 20,000 years. And from the failed att ...…

This week: more stores from our series Facing Change, about shifting demographics in New England, and the impact of immigration. A reporter crosses the border to find those leaving the U.S. to seek asylum in Quebec, and we go to prep school to meet a pair of teenage refugees. We meet people trying to build political power in the region’s growin ...…

This week, we look at how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — the Northeast’s plan to cut carbon emissions — has been working, and what the shifting political environment might mean. We dig into a new study about plans to expand natural gas capacity in New England. On a farm in Vermont, we find out what’s really worrying the young people w ...…

This week, we have updates from New England News Collaborative reporters on the impact of President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning travel from seven majority Muslim countries. Another executive order is aimed at punishing so-called “sanctuary cities” — municipalities that refuse to detain undocumented immigrants. Our guest s ...…

While Boston has more than rebounded from the great recession, many of New England’s smaller cities are still feeling the pain of de-industrialization. In Massachusetts, some of these former mill towns are plotting a comeback. We take a look at what two so-called Gateway Cities are doing to provide economic opportunity. We also learn about the ...…

This week, immigrants and the mayor of Boston react to President Trump’s executive actions on immigration. Plus, people in mental health crises are getting stuck in emergency rooms, sometimes for days. We consider two very different Boston-area squares that are experiencing gentrification. And finally, the New England accent that time forgot. T ...…

When nonviolent arrestees can’t afford even a low bail, should the bail system be done away with? Plus, an investigation into asbestos exposure in Boston’s renovation boom. We check back in with author Colin Woodard to learn why some in the region he calls “Yankeedom” flipped from blue to red in the presidential election. And one woman remember ...…

Miguel Alcudia was picked up earlier this year by immigration authorities for residing in the state on an expired visa. Despite federal guidelines prioritizing criminals, there are still cases where authorities detain individuals with no record. Photo by Ryan Caron King for NENC Federal policy changes were supposed to end random deportations of ...…

A map of Cape Cod with ribbons representing those lost to substance abuse at the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. Photo by Ryan Sweikert for the Transom Story Workshop. Across New England, there’s been an epidemic of opioid addiction, overdose, and death. This hour, we dig deep into the causes of this crisis with health reporter Martha Bebinger. ...…

In January of last year, a disabled homeless man was struck and killed by a car in Concord, New Hampshire. Gene Parker’s death raised questions about the causes and effects of homelessness in that state. This week we hear from two reporters who went looking for answers. Plus, listen to what we’ve learned from 50 years in the life of an experime ...…

Loading …

Welcome to Player FM

What if radio played only the shows you care about, when you want? Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcast content right now. Try us out on any web browser — desktop, mobile, or tablet.